


Revolve

by teacett



Series: How We Love [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Crushes, First Kiss, Galaxy Garrison, Grinding, M/M, Roommates, Rutting, Young Love, and fall in love, because duh, but all sexual activity mentioned takes place after they're legal, pining shiro, shiro and adam end up rooming together as cadets, starts with shiro and adam as sixteen year olds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2018-08-12
Packaged: 2019-06-26 06:36:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15657771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teacett/pseuds/teacett
Summary: Adam flashed a languid smile as he passed him by, the graying clouds just outside the window casting him in an unexpectedly cool light. All Shiro could do was lower his face, hoping the tingling flush hadn’t spread to his ears or neck, in perfect view of those hazel eyes he couldn't have prepared for.(Alternatively, "Oh my god, they were roommates.")





	Revolve

**Author's Note:**

> This is a prequel to my hastily written Adashi fix-it, both having been thrown together in the span of a day. They're not perfect and I'm cool with that, but feel free to point out any typos you spot and I'll hop in and fix 'em. 
> 
> Enjoy the young queer love we deserved, but never got to see in canon. :'))

Sometimes Shiro would catch himself watching the other boys.

It was nothing intrusive or even particularly noticeable, but as his eyes fell across muscled abdomens and the curves of powerful thighs, the guilt was there all the same; a distinct hyper-awareness of his own interest. He would lower his gaze, continue on with what he was doing, and stash the images away for the quiet nights away from their hawk-eyed higher-ups, trying to ignore the pinch of embarrassment that always crept in. 

It was unnerving, like he might have been doing something wrong.

During training, at meals, in the locker rooms, he couldn’t help himself. The shame attached was minor, negligible even, but he knew that this wasn’t...normal. Not among his peers, anyway. Carrow hadn’t gone twenty minutes without spewing his opinion on the female form. Michelson had been caught in the girl’s bunks more times than Shiro could count. Morales seemed intent on sneaking out for a lay whenever possible, seeming particularly fond of the pretty black engineer in the year above them. 

Each and every one of his teachers? Married, or engaged, to someone of the opposite sex. 

He wasn't normal, and before Adam came crashing into his life, he might have been content to pretend otherwise.

* * *

It had been a gloomy Monday when their newest transfer arrived. Shiro watched the way the other teen surveyed the students seated before him with the look of someone gauging whether a leashed dog was friendly, chin lifted and eyes hooded with something edging on boredom. 

Their gazes slid across one another before the boy was encouraged to introduce himself, Shiro suddenly _very_ aware that the only empty seat was directly behind him. 

The new student’s voice rang out calm, simple, easy. Nothing unexpected, nothing special. 

Shiro liked it.

Adam flashed a languid smile as he passed him by, the graying clouds just outside the window casting him in an unexpectedly cool light. All Shiro could do was lower his face, hoping the tingling flush hadn’t spread to his ears or neck, in perfect view of those hazel eyes he couldn't have prepared for. 

* * *

“You were in Iverson’s class. Guess we’re roomies.” 

Shiro stood dumbly in the doorway his previously unshared double room, blinking at the sight of his new classmate lounging contently on the bed mere feet from his own. When he’d changed his clothes and left for the library, he’d still had the place to himself. 

“Adam, right?”

“Mhm. You look pretty surprised to see me, I figured they'd let you know.” 

“The higher-ups generally don’t bother sending out notices when we end up with a new roommate. Well, unless we’re the ones moving.” Shiro forced himself into motion, stepping inside and dropping his bag in the chair as his desk. “I’m—”

“Takashi Shirogane.” Adam piped up, smirking to himself. Shiro blinked, dark brows jumping slightly.

“I suppose you’ve seen the test scores?”

“Know thine enemy.” 

Shiro snorted. “Sure.”

“Seriously though,” Adam said, sitting up and throwing his legs over the side of the bed to face his new roommate properly. “Your numbers were phenomenal. You’ve gotta be working your ass off to be in the top three in every department; you could do whatever you wanted after graduation.”

“We all work hard.” The brunet acknowledged, unable to help a soft chuckle on behalf of a few cadets who hadn’t quite made the cut. “...Most of us do.”

Adam looked skeptical, brow raised. Shiro smirked.

“It’s not all that difficult when the instructors are good at what they do. Besides, the stuff we’re learning here is interesting. Useful. We’re making a difference.” 

“So you’re the cool guy who happens to be good at everything, actually enjoys the subject matter, _and_ you’re humble? Color me impressed.”

“I’m, uh, not cool.” Shiro laughed, shaking his head and sitting himself on the edge of his own bed; the ease of conversation was unexpected, almost jarring. 

“Uhuh. The jacket?” Adam insisted, gesturing to the other’s already broadening shoulders with one long-fingered hand. The taller boy blinked, looking down at himself, glad to be out of uniform but suddenly a bit flustered at the way his dark clothing clung to his form.

“I guess I don’t really think about...fashion? Much? It's second-hand.” He admitted. Adam stared for a moment before his lips spread into a smile, and suddenly he was laughing softly to himself in a way Shiro would never unhear.

“You’re interesting. Nice to meet you, Shirogane.” Adam hummed, and Shiro was suddenly grateful for the dim light of their quarters. His cheeks burned like nothing he’d ever felt.

“Likewise.” He replied, and he meant it.

* * *

Over the first few months in that small shared room, Shiro learned more about Adam than he had his three former roommates combined. It might have been because there was more chemistry, or because the younger boy (only by a few months, he’d found out early on) simply had his attention, but he figured it was probably both. 

Adam was smart, of course, had to be to transfer in so late. His humor easily matched his intelligence, wit sharp and demeanor shifting from cool to playful in an instant. The guy’s skills in the cockpit were impressive, but they were nothing compared to his strategy, dynamic and fluid in a way Shiro hadn’t realized battle could be. 

He avoided the arts despite a definite interest, worried that it might be one of those things he just wasn’t particularly well suited to. 

He had a crippling fear of black holes. 

He was a neat freak and a hoarder all in one, and perfectly aware of it.

Cardio made him want to throw himself off a bridge. 

The way he so readily compared his notes with Shiro’s so he could help round their studies out, the way he sleepwalked into the wall beside their door and laughed himself to tears at three in the morning, the way he smiled as he passed the last half of his dessert across the table to Shiro when he arrived late from his time in the library, it was all so endearing in a way Shiro had never known before. Their interactions were as alluring as they were intimidating.

Before long, their chemistry became as obvious in the classroom and on the training deck as it did during their late night conversations. Iverson smirked proudly as they stumbled out of the simulator, both teens shining with adrenaline and pride. 

Shiro’s scores only rose with Adam at his side, though the darker skinned boy wasn’t far behind, determined not to let his new partner show him up. 

They ate together, studied together, and flew together, in sync beyond anything Shiro could have imagined. The thrill of flying with Adam right behind, the sight of the boy tearing off his helmet and shaking out his wild tawny hair, the way his friend smiled at him with such genuine fondness, all of it felt like a blessing he wasn’t quite sure he deserved.

Shiro’s seventeenth birthday was spent flying and binging on junk food, a well-deserved cheat day after all the months of chalky protein shakes and bland grains. The two of them laid out on the drying grass beyond the confines of the base, fingers salty with the remnants of the best burger and fries Shiro had ever had.

“I don’t think I can move.” Adam groaned, but when Shiro turned his head to look at him, he was glad to find the other trainee smiling back. 

“Shouldn’t have gotten the shake, man. You just downed a day’s worth of calories.” 

“What’s the point of paying extra for fries if you don’t have a shake to dip ‘em in?” The younger drawled, clearly trying not to laugh. “Can’t say no to chocolate.”

“Then you’re just paying double. Vanilla is way better anyways, real vanilla though.”

“Of course _you_ would like vanilla.” Adam snorted, and Shiro grinned. 

“It goes with everything!” He defended, stretching long arms above his head and rolling his shoulder lazily. 

“It’s _boring_.”

Shiro looked up at the sky, unable to keep the joy from his face as he watched stars twinkling to life with the sun’s retreat. 

“Iverson is probably a chocolate guy, huh?”

“Oh yeah, definitely.” 

Adam sounded far too pleased with himself. Shiro didn’t mind.

* * *

After a while, Shiro found it both easier and more difficult to set his crush on Adam aside. In the span of just under a year, their friendship had grown more trusting than he could have possibly predicted. It was thrilling and terrifying, and something he never wanted to damage. Not for anything. 

Not even when he found himself more drawn to the boy than ever, watching the graceful lines of his fingers as they flexed over the control panel, deft and sleek. 

Not even as those hazel eyes rose to meet his own, glowing with pride at their joint accomplishment.

“—hear me? Shiro?” 

“Wha—uh, um...what'd you say?" The older boy blinked, shaking his head minutely to boot his brain back up. 

“You were staring.” The teen observed calmly from behind his glasses, smile benign. 

“I didn’t sleep well last night, guess I’m feeling it. Sorry.” Shiro lied meekly and cursing himself for it. Adam lifted a brow, amused but thankfully willing to have mercy on his partner. His attention fell back to the control panel.

“You should get going, it’s nearly time for dinner anyway. I’ll be in soon, just need to calibrate the new shields and submit our report.”

“You sure?” Shiro hesitated. Adam laughed and rolled his eyes before fixing his friend with a stare.

“Don’t make me chase you out, nerd.”

So Shiro went, grinning as the other cadet feigned unbuckling his safety belt to go after him. Jogging off in the direction of the nearest facility to drop off his equipment, his face warmed with joy. 

He was so fucked.

* * *

Before long, Adam’s own seventeenth had arrived with minimal fanfare. Shiro woke him with a pillow to the face and dragged him out of bed so they’d have a decent chance at some bacon and eggs while they were still hot. Adam laughed tiredly as he was tugged along by the arm, nearly tripping over his pajama pants more than once. 

They took their time eating, sipping their black coffee and easily dismissing the bitterness in the glow of good conversation, bickering half-heartedly over the best time of day to fly. Their classes passed quietly after that, clouds rolling in from all directions and closing in on the Garrison base in a way that was oddly reminiscent of Adam’s arrival. 

By the time they were released from their simulation training at the end of the day, Shiro could have easily slept the evening away, growing body aching from the demands of their education. Diligent as ever, he soldiered on through their mediocre dinner before meandering back to the bunks with Adam at his side.

He changed out of his uniform tiredly, grabbed his pillow, and sat himself on the edge of Adam’s bed, watching him set up the movie he’d been hyping up for the last day and a half. Undressing in front of his partner had been nerve-wracking at first, but after so much time spent in tight quarters it was as natural as falling asleep. 

It wasn’t as though he had much of a choice either way.

“Find a decent download?” He asked, smiling tiredly and watching sepia fingers dance along the translucent orange touch screen of his tablet. 

“Finally, took forever. It’s not exactly a new release, and it wasn’t well-received.”

“You’ve been going on about it for hours so it’s gotta be decent.”

Adam met his eyes, smirking. “It’s amazing. Like, _bad_ good.”

“Bad...good?” Shiro questioned, smile spreading as his roommate tapped the nearby panel to throw the room into darkness and shifted over on the bed to make room for him. He didn’t let himself think twice as he crammed his pillow against Adam’s and got comfortable against the wall. 

“Bad good.” Adam’s expression was reminiscent of a pleased housecat as he settled himself against his own pillow.

The movie started off on a mediocre note and only descended from there, the acting transitioning from questionable to abhorrent in the first twenty minutes. Shiro had to stifle a combination of chuckles and groans as the plot unfurled, cringing weakly at the poorly written dialogue and incredibly...unsexy sex scenes.

“That’s...oh god,” Shiro laughed, hiding his face behind his hands. “Oh, oh _god_.”

“His dick is made of gold. Literal gold.” Adam hummed, smirking to himself. 

“But _why?_ ” The elder questioned, shaking his head. Adam laughed. 

“Why not?”

They watched with varying degrees of disgust and mirth, Shiro finding himself choking on laughter at a particularly cringe-worthy denial of adultery. Adam grinned, patting him on the back as he doubled over and stating that it was, “just part of the experience”. 

What happened next, however, did not make Shiro laugh. The teen calmed down enough to pay attention to the movie, but quickly found himself distracted at the realization that Adam’s hand hadn’t left his back. 

_Holy shit._

He blinked, trying not to draw attention to his own acute awareness as he rested back against his pillow again and peered unseeing at the tablet being propped up on his friend’s pajama clad thighs. His heart slammed against his ribcage as that hand fell lower, resting at the small of his back and sliding around to brush along his flank.

The movie was officially the _last_ thing on his mind. 

Shiro swallowed and it sounded too loud in his ears, lashes lowering at the way warm fingers traced the vertical seam of his t-shirt. He worked to keep his confusion from showing on his face, sure he must be misunderstanding something, missing _something_.

He’d never dared hope for this. He didn’t know what to do, what to say. There wasn’t a plan.

“Shiro.” 

Slate gray eyes rose slowly as Shiro turned his head, and the tablet fell to the side, the movie paused (when had he...?). Adam was watching him, searching him for any signs of discomfort or unease. 

“Adam...I…” 

His eyes roamed over familiar features in the dim light, catching on full lips and staying there. There was no helping it.

Adam smiled that easy, damning smile and leaned in. 

Their lips met with a gentleness Shiro hadn’t been prepared for. His eyes slipped shut at the feeling of warm fingers grazing his jaw, gliding up into his hair and pushing it back from his face. 

It was perfect; more than perfect. 

It was Adam. 

If that was wrong, Shiro never wanted to be right again.

They stayed like that for a little while, mouths coming together chastly and fingers hesitantly skating over fabric. Shiro found himself nipping at the other boy’s lower lip with a sigh, tilting his head and deepening the contact as his friend pressed closer. Shiro took a moment to remove the other’s glasses with a shy smile, heart blooming with affection at the way Adam watched him do it. 

"H...happy birthday." Shiro mumbled a bit stupidly. They laughed softly before coming together again, bodies humming with affection.

A leg slid over his own and the other boy was in his lap, sitting across his thighs as if he’d belonged there all along. Shiro's arms slid around him, drawing him in and keeping him close as their lips melded in the dark. 

Before long they were laying side by side in bed, still perfectly clothed and kissing like they could have kept going forever. Shiro wasn’t sure which of them fell asleep first, but by the time they did, the feeble first light of sunrise was peeking into their window.

* * *

Adam laughed breathlessly as their door shut behind them, tossing his graduation gifts onto his bed and dragging Shiro into a firm kiss. Shiro pressed him into the wall to their right, the one Adam still found himself walking into far too early, and hoisted his partner up against it.

“You’ve gotten...way too strong,” The younger chuckled against eager lips, kissing his boyfriend back between words. Shiro’s head dove lower, teeth and tongue finding the spot just below his ear that made him melt with a moan. 

“We have—mm, dinner with my parents…if you mark me up I’ll kick your ass back to cadet status.”

“You started it.” Shiro breathed huskily, smiling into warm skin and pressing their hips together with a grunt. Adam dropped his head forward with a shaky sigh, ankles locked encouragingly just above his boyfriend’s ass. 

The rutted against one another until they were spilling into their underwear, boneless and shuddering, still thrilled from having finally made the next step on their newly shared journey as pilots. As men.

Adam’s glasses were askew, fringe messy as their groins pulsed together. Shiro’s spent cock twitched at the sight, eyes heavy-lidded and hungry for more. Ultimately they had somewhere to be within the hour, and if they didn’t get changed and get their asses into the hall soon they would definitely hear a concerned knock or two.

“You there, baby?” Shiro hummed into Adam’s ear, relishing the happy little sigh that left him. 

“Mhm.” He chimed, the sound deep. Content. Shiro nuzzled his jaw, leaving a kiss there for good measure.

“Can you stand?” 

“Gonna have to, huh?”

“Mhm.” Shiro smiled at the way his lover hid his face in his shoulder for a moment, glasses clicking against a button.

“I love you.” 

The words were muffled and soft, but uttered without warning as though Adam had wanted to say them sooner. Shiro let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d be holding and buried his nose in messy brown hair, closing his eyes to the encroaching sting. 

Whatever he’d done to deserve this man, he'd do it again a hundred (a thousand, a _million_ ) times over.

* * *

* * *

Let me know if you guys would like one more installment covering Shiro and Adam's time together post-graduation and pre-Kerberos, including their engagement (and probably more smut, let's be real). I feel like it would definitely be a more well-rounded way to end this series, but I want to make sure the interest is there. 

Again, kudos and comments make my day; thank you so much for reading.


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